Re: Victor Wooten loops

[John Pollock <johnpollock@delphi.com>]

andre wrote:
> 
> >
> > I just saw Victor Wooten (bassist with Bela Fleck and Flecktones)
> > playing solo at a record store in Boulder. He mentioned that he does
> > loops now.  I asked what he used and he said he has a Jamman and an
> 
> lucky you. victor is one of those rare players that totally kilss on
> his/her instrument, yet is totally self-effacing and...MUSICAL... i urge
> anyone without his solo CD to check it  out!!

This message is brought to you by the number THREE:

The THIRD time I saw Bela and the Flecktones, it was their first gig as
a TRIO following Howard Levy's departure from the band.  They had
finished recording _THREE Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ at midnight the
night before, in Nashville, and had driven all night to Houston, so they
were pretty tired.  The combination of the new context and fatigue led
them to take even more chances than usual, and there were some real
surprises... like Bela unplugging his banjo, perching on the edge of the
stage, and playing an unaccompanied, _unamplified_ Earl Scruggs tribute
medley for the 350 or so of us jammed into the old bank building.

I think the biggest surprise came as, in response to a chorus of
requests, they prepared to play "Sinister Minister."

Said Bela, "Since we've played this so many times, to keep it
interesting for us, I'm going to ask Victor to switch instruments with
me."

Now, Victor's double-take _could_ have been an act, but I doubt it,
because they conferred for half a minute or so, then Victor retuned the
banjo before they began.  And if it wasn't "just like the record," it
was certainly close enough for all of us...

Another Victor jewel came in a PBS concert by THREE "Women of Song"
(their title, not mine!), Maura O'Connell, Pam Tillis, and Jonell Moser.
It was a very brief solo, nothing fast or flashy, played on a Hofner
"Beatle" bass instead of one of his customary custom instruments. 
But... How could he know that _those_ few notes, played on _that_
instrument, would cut through the crappy TV audio and make me feel like
_that_?

Victor Wooten is who I want to be when I grow up.

John
Troubador Tech (http://people.delphi.com/johnpollock/)